Draft:Michael Dayton Hermann

Michael Dayton Hermann is a New York City based multidisciplinary artist, arts professional, curator, and author. He is known for his contributions to contemporary art which bridges art, business, media, and philanthropy.

Education

Hermann was raised in Somerset, New Jersey where he attended Franklin High School. He received his Bachelor of Fine Arts fromParsons School of Design, graduating with academic and departmental honors. He later earned a Masters of Fine Arts degree at Hunter College, where he studied with Robert Morris and completed his thesis under the advisement of Nari Ward.

Artistic Career

Hermann's artistic practice spans painting, video, sculpture and mixed media. His work often explores themes of media saturation, identity, and perception, examining how contemporary imagery interacts with subconscious responses and how the personal intersects with the collection. His approach is noted for challenging conventional representation and offering layered visual narratives that invite viewers to reconsider familiar symbols and media-driven experiences.

One of Hermann's notable exhibitions, REconstituted (2024) which has been described as presenting, “a riveting exploration of our ‘post-truth’ society, where the lines between the real and the fabricated not only blur but dance in an intricate ballet of contradictions,” Hermann’s 40 minute video Mixtape (2018/2023) delves into themes of media saturation and identity. Drew Zeiba of PIN-UP described it as, “a regression to a purely sensorial form, a sort of atavistic conjuring of lost channel surfing, an imagistic id.” In 2023, Hermann exhibited Mixtape at The Stateroom Gallery in Brussels, Belgium which included hand-painted and limited edition skateboards sold to benefit The Harold Hunter Foundation. In Flowers, Hermann reimagined traditional still-life genre providing, "new insight into what the Old Masters themselves had been up to." Stations (2017), "reinterprets historic, cultural, and religious symbolism."

Author

Hermann is the author of two books, Warhol on Basquiat and Andy Warhol: Love, Sex, and Desire. Warhol on Basquiat (2020) documents the artistic collaboration and personal friendship between Andy Warhol and Jean-Michel Basquiat. It features over 400 previously unseen photos. Andy Warhol: Love, Sex, and Desire (2021) is a collection of over 300 early Warhol drawings that explores themes of intimacy. It has been noted for its presentation of Warhol's unfiltered depictions of beauty, desire, and “unbridled sexuality, one made all the more alluring by its defiance against societal norms.”

The Andy Warhol Foundation

Hermann has worked at The Andy Warhol Foundation for over twenty years where he currently serves as Managing Director, Strategic Initiatives. Hermann has conceived and led a range of projects that extend the Foundation's mission, including Andy Warhol: Machine Made, a 2021 online auction in partnership with Christie’s featuring five Warhol NFTs. The auction raised over raising over $3.3M to benefit the Foundation's philanthropic activities. Hermann also conceived Philanthropy Factory, an initiative that invites non-profit arts organizations to benefit from the sale of Warhol works from the Foundation’s collection. He has led notable projects including The Andy Warhol Diaries docuseries on Netflix and collaborated with global brands including Comme des Garçons, Dior, Tiffany & Co., Absolut, Bulgari, Perrier, Uniqlo, Calvin Klein, Burger King, and Coca-Cola. Hermann also developed and curated exhibitions and charitable sale initiatives including Social Disease, Better Days, The Andy Warhol Diaries, and Social Network. He also developed an ongoing sales initiative in partnership with eBay for Charity, which sold over 750 works and generated more than $3M.

These initiatives have collectively generated over $100 million to support the Foundation’s philanthropic mission which has distributed nearly $300 million in cash grants to advance the visual arts. Hermann has also led legacy building initiatives including the sharing of over 35,000 high resolution images of Warhol’s works with JSTOR, a leading digital library of journals, books and other primary source material. He is also credited with conceiving the books Andy Warhol Polaroids 1958-1987 and Andy Warhol: Seven Illustrated Books 1952-1959 both published by TASCHEN. Hermann has said, “just as artists challenge our imaginations of what is possible, the field of philanthropy should constantly consider fresh and innovative ways of engagement.”

Leadership in Contemporary Art

Hermann is on the Board of Directors at the Children’s Museum of the Arts (CMOA) and Baxter Street at CCNY. He has been the subject of media coverage including Gagosian Quarterly, DACS, Creating Home podcast, and DACS. He has shared his liberal views in support of freedom of expression stating, “the normalization of intolerance and resulting pressure to conform in much of our society today often results in the silencing of voices and stifling of creativity…The true power of visual art is unleashed only when artists have no doubt in their right to create work that is challenging, complex, thought-provoking, and even controversial at times.” He has been featured on CBS News television (CBS), Previously Unknown Podcast, and quoted in various news outlets including NPR “All Things Considered,” The Guardian, Interview Magazine, Harpers Bazaar, Vanity Fair, ArtNet, The Art Newspaper, ArtNews, Hypebeast, Architectural Digest, Daily Mail, and New York Observer. He regularly speaks on panels and participates in public programming.